[color=#006400;]The warm rain falling created a soft pattern of sound on the Kanohi Zatth that adorned the face of the Matoran known as Sisk. He stood stoically, watching as Kongu gave his eulogy, followed by Merror. He knew the Toa well, at least, as well as a simple Matoran could. Once again, fate reunited them here after the death of a beloved one. Thinking back, Tamaru's death seemed to have happened ages ago already. So much had happened since then. But Sisk had not forgotten the adventure they had had together, hunting for the killers of the chroniclers company. Sisk gulped hard, fighting back against the lump in his throat, that wave of emotion thretening to overwhelm him as the Toa spoke. His shoulders shuddered and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, two tears running down his cheeks, luckily blending in with the rain. [/color]

[color=#006400;]He glanced to his right. Verdi stood there, shoulder to shoulder with Lashev and Lans. Their interrogation of the last remaining Xa-Koronan had yielded no results, the Toa refusing to speak. Sisk could tell by his friends looks how they felt. Probably not much different from him. But they were not the only ones. The Rahkshi hunting-squad, the team Lans had put together, stood as one with the men of the Gukko-Force. There was Kongu, standing in front of them after his speech, his polished Miru glittering with the odd sunray breaking through the foliage above hitting the drops running down it's surface. Behind him stood the other commanding officers. Boreas and Kama were there. They all stood, paying their respects and listening to Merror and the others speak. Until at last an elderly Ko-Matoran stepped up to the podium. Sisk had not seen him before and so he listened carefully. Not just with his heart, as he had when Kongu and Merror had spoken, but with his mind. He did not know the man, so his words were not as moving. And as he listened, something started to feel wrong for the Le-Matoran.[/color]

[color=#006400;]“My friends…,” the Ko-Matoran began. “This day is a day that will live in infamy. Please accept my most sincere thoughts, and know that you shall be in my prayers”[/color]

[color=#006400;]“I remember Turaga Matau’s kind visage, his willingness to also take a joke as well as deal one out. I remember when he literally laughed in the face of danger that day the dreaded Mystix invaded. I remember how supportive he was last time we lost a beloved Le-Koronan icon. As has been said, as long as individuals like myself and you all keep and cherish these memories, Turaga Matau will live on, in our hearts.”[/color]

[color=#006400;]“However, I must remind you all of a point that may prove most beneficial. I believe that what happened today and what happened two nights ago are related. While Makuta may be a culprit, the attack on our village, creating fear in the hearts of our people, coupled with both a terrible and cowardly assassination of our most beloved, are related,” Koropaki said, “The evening before the attack, Tuuli and the Cultured Gentry volunteered to work with your village, remove all traces of Makuta’s destruction and make it so that the Le-Matoran will never be fearful again”[/color]

[color=#006400;]“I plan to follow through on that promise. After this service, I shall meet with Kongu. I will send word to gather whatever supplies Le-Koro needs that I can buy.”[/color]

[color=#006400;]Koropaki’s dark visage then melted away, reverting to his fatherly demeanor: “But not now. War is not something we should work towards this instant. We all need our time to mourn, but know that a war is coming, and that the Cultured Gentry, while generally opposed to violence, will stop at nothing to make sure no more lives are in this village.”[/color]

[color=#006400;]Sisk started to breathe heavily, as thoughts from the past days began to flash before his inner eye. The terrorist attack, the flight to Pala-Koro; the FoM attack there, the betrayal of the ILS and the story of the dark-armored Toa. He remembered the fight for Le-Koro and the meeting with Kongu at which Dehkaz spoke and then the dark Toa again. And he remembered the warning Aparangi had spoken. I see a pattern emerging, of villages being built up through charitable means to gain their trust, only to be destroyed violently after through sabotage. More words started to pop up in his thoughts. Treason. Vigilance. Saving Angel....[/color]

[color=#006400;]"Captain!" Sisk spoke up, breaking rank and stepping forward, past the officers and up to Kongu as the crowd slowly began to disperse after the final speaker. Sisk looked the captain in the eyes intensily, then he started to talk in hushed tones, so only Kongu could hear him.[/color]

[color=#006400;]"Captain,please, do not up-take this man on his offer. He open-advertises his rich mans club at our Turaga's funeral while Matau does not even sleep-rest in his grave yet. Just two sun-cycles ago we all heard-listened to the Toa at your meeting after the Xa-Koronan attack. They all told-warned us of kind-help like this. It is money-bought trust, but we all will high-pay a price if we blindly accept. We have twice-seen it now. The ILS accepted and their fort is littlemore-nothing than smoke-smoldering ruins. And the Xa-Koronans bad-blamed us for the quick-death of their angel-saviour after their homes were ocean-swallowed. Both times they were free-helped and deep-betrayed. And I fear the same may soon-happen to us."[/color]

[color=#006400;]There was a pleading look in Sisk's eyes as he looked at Kongu. "Please, Captain..." [/color]

[color=#008080;]Leah leaned a little more against Reordin's shoulder, which she had claimed as her resting spot for now after the Ko-Matoran had started telling his story. It was a comforting feelingand there had not been many of those in the past few days, so she enjoyed these quite moments on watch as much as she could without neglecting the duty of actually keeping watch over the camp. [/color]

[color=#008080;]"Wow. That's...quite a story." she said after Reordin had finished, chuckling softly. "I guess if any of us others want to get to know him closer we'll need a lot of Bula Juice."[/color]

[color=#008080;]She looked straight ahead into the small campfire, following the spraks rising up into the sky until they disappeared. A few moments of silence followed as neither of them spoke, then Leah asked:[/color]

[color=#008080;]"How do you think the others are doing? Stannis and Oreius I mean. I doubt we would be sitting here like this if they were...well, if they had failed, we would know...right?"[/color]

IC: [color=#008000;]Kongu tried to smile and reassure the dependable Le-Koronan, despite the sadness and fear that was in his own heart.[/color]

[color=#008000;]"I shall never dark-blind accept anything without all the facts being gathered, my friend," Kongu replied quietly, "I understand your mind-worries, as I share them myself, but one of our own is a loyal member of this group, they even high-funded the song-concert two days ago. Nevertheless, I heart-promise nothing will be signed unless I'm dead-sure that the safety of our people will be preserved"[/color]

Meanwhile, the Gentryman stood far away from Kongu and the officers. He now had a stack of tablets slung over his shoulder. He sensed distress in one of the Gukko Force officers talking to Kongu, and the overly-conscious Koropaki wasn't sure what to make of it. The Ko-Matoran soon decided to cast it aside, and decided to get a head start to the Gukko Force HQ.

[color=#000080;]"Aw, c'mon, they didn't fail; if they got caught, Stannis would Wander his way right into a convenient pile of Madu and blow his way out of whatever prison Makuta tossed him in," Reordin said through a grin, eyes looking down at the fire. Both Matoran began to laugh at the mental image, and Leah tucked back into the Ko-Matoran's shoulder as he slowly stopped laughing and gazed forward lazily.[/color]

[color=#000080;]"No, they didn't fail," he finally said, a bit more seriously. "I believe in Stannis, and in Oreius, and you know something? I'm feeling pretty good tonight, for the first time in a long, looong time. I feel like, apart from the little balloon we've got shoved in there-" and here Reordin pointed at the satchel of Takua, where Lewa's stone was buried underneath enough material that it wouldn't float away "-and apart from the fact that Sulov's running out of trail mix to shovel down our throats with that fake hand of his, things are going alright for us. At least...until the trail mix runs out."[/color]

[color=#000080;]The two Matoran began laughing again, same as before, and this time when Leah tucked back into his shoulder the lieutenant tucked his arm around her and drew her into a sort of sideways upright cuddle-hug.[/color]

[color=#000080;]"Listen, Leah...about what I was trying to say yesterday."[/color]

[color=#000080;]The fire crackled, trying and failing not to look interested; embers waltzed and tangoed around in circles, hopeless romantics unable to escape their mold, and Reordin's intelligent blue eyes watched the dancers twirl for a minute before looking into Leah's questioning eyes and shrugged.[/color]

[color=#000080;]"Well, I mean...this trip. This whole quest thing. All my life, it's been waiting for me, just out of reach, waiting for a certain moment in time where I was ready enough to wrap my fingers around it and yank it forward. And everyone I ever knew kept telling me how much potential I had, Reordin, you've got so much potential, and...now, for the first time, I've taken control of my own life, and that feels...so much more amazing than I ever thought it could. And it's why..."[/color]

[color=#000080;]Reordin's free arm went and massaged the edges of his eyes, where his temples met his forehead, and then dropped again onto his right knee, the elbow driving into his thigh. Still the dancers twirled.[/color]

[color=#000080;]"I'm not happy Aurax is dead," he continued at last. "If I could bring him back, I would, and I would give almost anything to make it happen, for Stannis. But...I'm trying to take control right now, and what I think I'm trying to say is that...I'm really, really glad that you're here right now."[/color]

[color=#696969;]IC: Zealokan'Pay him no mind, Miha. You should get some rest. We all should.' He stretched and yawn loudly. 'As much as I'd love to stay at an inn, I've no widgets. Miha, do you have a spare room or a tree I could sleep under?' He tried to chuckle, but it came out weakly, full of anxiety.[/color]

[color=#006400;]"Well..." Miha said, ignoring the fact that she had just said that she was going to her house two posts ago. "I guess we could go to my Uncle Zygad's house. I mean XXeth, or whatever his name was, made a mess of it, but I'm sure we could still sleep there. He had extra rooms for when me and Dreenan visited..."[/color]

[font="tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"]Reordin noticed I was off today. I shouldn't have let him see that; I was just a little eager because I've never felt this way before, like I'm going to win, and I didn't handle it right. But is it okay?[/font]

[font="tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"]Yeah. He knows it doesn't relate to him...I don't ever talk about problems with him that would make him sad he couldn't fix. He shouldn't have to be sad about anything, because he's a person. Right. We didn't talk about it, so I'm sure he's not sad. He won't worry. And I won't about him, I know Reordin's a good friend. I'm gonna take him to peace when I find it and he won't ever cry again. We're gonna win.[/font]

[color=#006400;]I'll admit, when this 'Cultured' Gentry coot came up and gave a final speech, I was pretty miffed. It wasn't money or influence that won battles, it was soldiers. We'd survived without outside aid for centuries, and we could continue to do so. With the funding of his club my butt.[/color]

[color=#006400;]I had forced myself to keep my mouth shut, but I was angry, angry that this Koropaki had the gull to use Matau's death to further promote his organization. I had to be honest, I didn't have a very high opinion of the wealth, not most of them. Maybe my view point was slightly biased, but it didn't matter, my gut was telling me not to trust this Cultured Gentry, and I always followed my gut. [/color]

[color=#006400;]I didn't have to go far to find Kongu, already being within earshot. I saw Sisk speaking with Kongu, what about I wasn't completely sure, Sisk was using hushed tones. Though I could guess it had something to do with Koropaki, it was only a hunch, but I if knew my fellow Gukko Force Officers like I believed I did, then Sisk didn't trust the rich guys anymore than I did. [/color]

[color=#006400;]"Captain, Sisk..." I said in a solemn greeting as I approached the two. For now I had my emotions mostly in check, though there was an emptiness in my heart, one that I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to fill again. Still, I had to press on, for the sake of my village I had to stick to my duty, it was the only thing I had left. [/color]

[color=#008080;]"Well then, Mr. Pep Support," I said, "I'd suggest we get headed for Le-Koro before night falls. I'm not sure if you've ever tried navigating a jungle in the dark before, but it isn't pretty."[/color]

[color=#008080;]It was then that I noticed the Le-Matoran who had delivered the news of the Turagas' deaths, "No offence or anything."[/color]

IC: KehuriThe Toa of Earth nodded. "I'll grab what I need and we'll be off." Before turning for the ship, he called to the amassed group, "And those of you going to Onu-Koro, be careful of who you speak with. The Koro is led by Kyju, the most crooked politician the Makuta himself could dream up. You do not want him to know about us!" With that he dashed to his temporary room as quickly as he could, threw one belt of explosives over his shoulder, packed a bag of food and other supplies (three lightstones, a sun-visor that didn't quite fit his new mask, his pickaxe, all the widgets left to his name, a chisel and hammer, and a sluice), grabbed a spare cloak and tucked the rest of his explosives under his arm before heading out the door.Ilu chirped at him as he stepped out onto the deck. Kehuri knelt by him and pet him. He'd tell the Rahi that he wasn't going to take him, but knew the bird wouldn't understand. The young Toa tossed one of his belts of explosives towards the Toa discussing on the deck, "Hey, I'm leaving these here. Mining explosives. They can stick to any solid surface, or be thrown. Push the button so that it pops out, rotate it clockwise, and press it down to prime it. Rotate it counterclockwise instead to deactivate it. It detonates in 10 seconds when stuck to a wall, 5 when thrown. I gotta go now, give those to whoever may need them." He spoke quickly. It was an explanation he had practiced before. That done, he joined his group, panting slightly. "Alright, I'm ready." He held out his hand for a fistbump with whoever would meet it.

0

"Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst, and corrupts the best. [...] It is only given to those who are ready to lower themselves to pick it up." - Ragnar Lothbrok

[color=rgb(255,165,0);]Oh lovely, another enjoyable walk through the jungle and swamp. Funny enough, it was exactly how Naru wanted to spend her time, getting attacked by insects, hvaving to pull one's boots out of the mud, deal with the humidity. Yeah, no. The Toa of Plasma gave a small sigh. It would be worth it, very worth it, once they found the brakas who killed the Turaga. She had some choice words planned for them, yes. The thought improved her mood somewhat, in a rather... different sort of way. The orange-armored Toa glanced at Kehuri as he returned, a grin now on her Faxon.[/color]

[color=rgb(255,165,0);]"Awesome. The sooner we get through the jungle, the better," she said, fistbumping in the traditional Toa salute. Funny, Naru couldn't remember the last time she'd done that. Actually, it was fairly rare to see it nowadays for any Toa to do that.[/color]

[color=#008080;]I turned Kethrye around when it was evident no one would be accompanying the two of us, eager to blow this pop stand. However that didn't mean I was particularly excited to get to Ko-Koro; the trudge would be tiring and all that awaited us there was a village buried in the wake of an avalanche in the middle of a frozen wasteland. That incident left its people in a little bit more than disarray. I can only imagine what they're going through with Nuju dead.[/color]

[color=#008080;]Karz, I can only imagine what it doing for Kethrye. When the news struck, fresh tears had welled up in his eyes, one of the things I least expected to see from this guy. That didn't bode very well with me. [/color]

[color=#daa520;]"You said it, sister,"[/color][color=#008080;] [/color][color=#008080;]I laughed, clapping the Toa of Plasma on the back,[/color][color=#008080;] [/color][color=#daa520;]"Let's get moving before dusk; the bugs are nightmarish at that time of day."[/color]

[color=#008080;]As I was joking around, a small part of my brain was looking back at how far I'd come since I arrived on Mata-Nui. When I first got here, my top priority was finding Rynekk and getting back home. Suddenly, I was voluntarily fighting a war against an omnipotent eldritch abomination.[/color]

[color=#008080;]Funny what two months will do to a person.[/color]

[color=#008080;]Glancing back at the boat, I spotted my brother, now sporting his old armour, holding Kehuri's belt of explosives in one hand, with a sad smile on his face. Karz, he looked so normal now, not at all the fanatical murderer that he had been a few weeks ago. To the average passerby, he would've looked like your standard-issue Toa - strong, noble, respected, etcetera, etcetera - just trying to do what was best for his people.[/color]

[color=#008080;]But we both knew better.[/color]

[color=#008080;]Did I resent him? Hate him? Fear him? I won't lie; yeah, I did. But, still, he was my brother. He had always been the one to look out for me, up until two months ago, when he'd gone all loopy and became a Makuta fanboy.[/color]

[color=#b22222;]Others? He knew others? Were they nice? Well they must have been, if Ril was going to meet them. People don't usually meet people who aren't nice, unless they're equally un-nice.[/color]

[color=#b22222;]"Alright!" Eniblad cheered, practically leaping into the air, "I can interact with more people!"[/color]

[font="times;"][color=#0000ff;]IC: Kethrye (Le-Koro jungle)~[/color][/font] [font="times;"][color=#0000ff;]"Trying to focusing on the task at hand, I guess," Kethrye replied to Alfon. He was still waiting in the vicinity of the Fowadi, as he wanted to ensure Ril actually got his orders relied to him. "Just. . .trying to process it all, you know what I mean? It's been one heck of a couple days. Pala-Koro half torched, Madrihk gone, Le-Koro attacked, the Turaga dead. . ."[/color][/font]

A huge plant with flat, broad leaves sat in a clearing. Although some would dismiss this as another strange growth, Verak, and anyone who had spent more than a couple days in the jungle, knew better.

This was the most dangerous plant in the forest. A Daikau, a sentient plant which attacked pretty much anything that got close to it.

Verak, normally, would leap at the chance to risk his life in such a way, but he had too many bad experiences with Daikau. You didn’t mess with them.

Verak carefully skirted around the branch, making sure not to step on any of it’s roots or leaves, then cautiously walked away, leaving the deadly plant to it’s solitude.

Not too soon after that Verak came to a large clearing- he could barely spot the other edge. Spread across was a grisly collection of corpses, in some places a bio deep. Rama, matoran, toa, or assorted parts from each littered the ground. Their flesh still stunk faintly, and the smell of blood was not yet gone.

Even if Verak hadn’t had his weapons dropped off here, there was plenty of old unused ones lying around.

He walked across, noting where piles of charred Rama parts lay, or bloodstained piles of matoran armor. A few residual flies remained buzzing around, hoping to find pieces of spare meat. But the jungle was fast- already, vines and creepers had begun to grow over the bodies, beginning to suck them back into the dirt, and reclaim their bodies. Nature was a powerful force.

Soon he reached the charred remains of the Nui-Rama hive; in fact, the word remains was liberally used- the highest parts of the one towering hive were barely Verak’s height.

But he wasn’t observing that- in the center of where the hive once was rose an enormous black obelisk, shining in the sun. It was huge and dark, with almost no features but some markings and slots in the smooth surface.

Around it was built a hasty temple, or shrine, something to remember the fallen by. It was crude, but served it’s purpose, which also seemed to be that of a living quarters. In it were all sorts of assembled objects- bandages, food, crude tools and weapons. Nothing very useful. Whoever had lived here had taken their truly valuable possessions.

Verak also noted something more important- his two swords, stuck into the mud. There was no note, no remembrance of the girl who had them. Purely functional, nothing else.

Verak slid them out and rubbed them on the grass. Having those things made him feel so much better. Like he could do more than anything now.

He turned and surveyed the battlefield.

“It’s a cryin’ shame I missed the battle.” he proclaimed loudly to the jungle, “It seems quite… epic, is the word?”

His words echoed across the clearing, accomplishing nothing. With a shrug, he turned and began to walk away, twirling his blades crazily.

[color=#a52a2a;]It was raining. That was the obvious fact here, but it was the only thing I was focusing on. It was my companion, as if the Great Spirit had decided I looked lonely and decided to send down little droplets of water to be my friend. Not sure why He would do something like that for me, given my track record. [/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]Anyway, the thing I really wanted to get to was this:[/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]Am I a narcissist?[/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]Long story short: yes.[/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]Short story longer: I seemed to have this notion that the entire universe revolved around me and my problems, and that everyone else was just here for my benefit. Maybe I didn't think this, but I sure as Karz believed it. I mean, really, every one of my breakdowns centred around the breakdowns of someone else.[/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]When Plagia was at her most vulnerable, seeing the monster I had become, I broke down and abandoned her. When Hari was disillusioned with the Guard, I looked for sympathy. When me and Naona found Dehkaz ridiculously hungover, I somehow switched focus onto myself. I had the horrible ability of being able to turn the misery of others into sympathy for myself. [/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]Mata-Nui. I just disgust myself.[/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]Of course, as any reasonable person will tell you, the only logical thing to do when you figure out what's wrong with yourself is to look at whatever it is, and fix it. Basic psychiatry, y'know, that thing that therapists are paid to do. However, due to the disturbing lack of those professions on this island (really, considering all the stuff people here are going through), I would have to fix my narcissistic, parasitic tendencies myself.[/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]Step 1) Get over yourself.[/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]Step 2) Start genuinely caring about others.[/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]One of those things would be easy enough. The other might involve a lot of drinking.[/color]

[color=#a52a2a;]Care to guess which is which?[/color]

[color=#b22222;]IC: Peho Eniblad - Le-Koro[/color]

[color=#b22222;]So, to get to Ril's friends, you had to jump of of the floor? That didn't seem very efficient, not at all. Not when it seemed like Eniblad was the only one of this particular trio who could fly when he was afraid. And jumping into the air was most certainly on the Toa's (steadily growing) list of fear-inducing acts. The memory of Skaarn sending him tumbling to the ground still burned in his memory.[/color]

[color=#b22222;]But, unless he wanted to be alone again, he was going to have to trust Ril to do the right thing (or at least not the stupid thing), and follow him. So, with only a moment of hesitation, the hulking Toa hurled himself off of the platform. Instantly, the wind blasting in his face, and the rolly-polly swinging of his stomach triggered a sense of undiluted terror in Eniblad, activating his Kanohi, and sending him hurtling through the skies, amongst the canopies.[/color]

[color=#b22222;]Eniblad glanced behind him to see Ril land safely on the ground...somehow. Oh well, yet another thing he would have to find out from the Toa. Shifting his weight to left, the huge Ta-Toa made a complete U-turn--[/color]

[color=#b22222;]--and found himself flying directly into a tree branch.[/color]

[color=#b22222;]Immediately, the Toa veered downwards, narrowly missing the obstacle. Unfortunately, the fear felt during that experience was enough to make him rise up, slamming his back into the branch he had almost managed to dodge. Shocked and in pain, Eniblad rapidly lost altitude, falling faster and faster towards the ground.[/color]

WHUMP!

[color=#b22222;]"Hovering...not always good," the Toa groaned, spitting out a few clumps of dirt as he climbed back to his feet.[/color]

IC GennoGenno stared down at the ledge that Ril and Peho jumped off of. He wasn't sure if he could survive such a fall without injury and he was reluctant to use his parakuka. But it looked like he had no choice...Wait, that tree over there looked like it could support his weight. Walking backwards to get some running distance, he found himself about five huts away from the village edge. Dashing into a run, he leapt off of the platform and grabbed onto the tree. "Phew," he thought. "Now to get down..." He slowly started to climb down the trunk of the big tree.

"I just need to find someone who can help you out with those powers of yours," said the Toa of Fire. "Now ... who do I know has a Kadin, and can probably be convinced to help out, even if it requires blackmail ..."

Water is a remarkable thing. It has the ability to maintain surface tension even after it has begun to grow beyond its confines, and stay contained. Like a dam blocking a river, it can remain forced back and held in place for a long time, long after you would have expected it to overflow. But even water has its limits, the point at which the tension breaks, and water rushes out of its container.

Much like emotions. They can be pushed back, held down, smothered, even ignored, and they will remain quiet. With a strong enough will, they can be trapped for years, bottled up long past the point most would have broken.

But everything has its breaking point.

Such was Krayn. The De-Toa remained in a surprised silence for a long moment, quietly hugging Hari back. He wasn't surprised at the viewpoint expressed, in fact, he rather expected it. The Ve-Toa was surprisingly optimistic, even in an increasingly cynical world. She didn't budge on her morals, and stuck to her beliefs. He hadn't thought now would be any different.

No, what surprised him was much more saddening, if one ever wormed an explanation from him. Someone cared. Cared enough to try and drag him back from the brink of despair, cared enough to try and keep him from suffocating in the gloom.

The dam broke.

Tears welled in his eyes, and streamed down his face, silent testament to the release of emotion, emotion that had refused to be buried. He hugged Hari a little tighter, as if to make sure she was still there.

"He's dead, they're all dead." The De-Toa finally spoke, in a barely controlled voice. "But you're right. Giving up is what they want us to do."

"Thank you."

0

On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

IC: KehuriThe young Toa swelled with pride when Naru met his fistbump. The last time he had seen one was between Onua and Pohatu, many years before. He felt it was time to revive the tradition. "If we're all packed up, I don't see why not!" He didn't set off then, though, looking to Plagia, as the senior ILF member, to take the lead.

0

"Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst, and corrupts the best. [...] It is only given to those who are ready to lower themselves to pick it up." - Ragnar Lothbrok

[color=rgb(255,165,0);]The Toa of Plasma realised that she'd done it without thinking. But what was even weirder was that it felt so... right. Almost as if it was programmed into her. The feeling quickly went away as the Toa of Lightning clapped her on the back. Naru's grin stayed where it was. If it came down to it, she could always incinerate any insect that dare come close. Well, probably best to save her elemental power for when she really needed it. Perhaps she could find some power that he Kanohi would grant her...[/color]

[color=rgb(255,165,0);]"Right-o," she said, a small burst of ionized gas appearing near her fingertips as she snapped them. "I've got zilch sense of direction right now, so I probably shouldn't be the one leading."[/color]

[color=rgb(255,165,0);]Naru paused for a moment, smirking.[/color]

[color=rgb(255,165,0);]"Unless you like walking in circles, in which case I'll gladly lead."[/color]

[color=#008080;]"Xa-Koro's gone and people want the Great Spirit dead, or so you say." I continued, adding to the list. "And that's not all of it. Seems like the world's way of playing a really bad joke." [/color]

[color=#008080;]Since we were still waiting, I climbed up a nearby tree as easily as a Brakas monkey would with the task and sat on a branch, leaning my back against its thick trunk. If Kethrye insisted on sticking around for a while longer, it wouldn't hurt to get comfortable. [/color]

[color=#008080;]"Call me corny but it feels like the dawn of a new era. A very bloody one at that."[/color]

[font="georgia, serif;"]A single strong, gunmetal-and-black arm wrapped itself around Naona's shoulders, the owner of said arm not entirely sure if this was the best thing to do. Or what to do. The news hit like a cannon round to the chest, that single line reverberating through his mind like a cannon shot does through the bowels of his ship. Dehkaz was in shock, almost. The closest he could come with identifying with one of the Turaga was Nuju, but even then, that was... a long time ago. Dehkaz was rarely effected by news such as this, but it caught even him off guard.[/font]

[font="georgia, serif;"]No use in staying around and denying it, best to get up and try and do something. Even if only to take one's mind off of it. This... Was how Dehkaz carried on. "You going to be alright?" he asked worriedly, seeing as this was the second time Naona had been frozen in shock.[/font]

[color=#4b0082;]"I know, I know..." Hari said, tightening her grip on Krayn. "I miss them, I missed Hafu, Macku, I miss Takua, I miss the Toa Mata. I miss everyone we've lost. I want them back, I want to thank them, I want them to understand how much we love them and how much we miss them." Hari was crying now, Krayn's shoulder now wet with tears, like his tears on her shoulder. "Thing is they do know. They know we love them and they know we can stop Makuta. They know we can stop whoever did this. This island has seen so much misery, so much death, so much suffering. It makes you feel alone. I remember when my parents were killed. A young officer from the Po-Koro Guard came to my house. I was scared, alone, I was lost, vulnerable. That Toa of Stone, she made me feel safe, I didn't feel alone anymore. It was that day because of her that I realized we aren't alone, we never were, we never will be." Hari's grip was firm but tender and she held Krayn, her eyes turned to see her.[/color]

[color=#4b0082;]To see the woman who came to her house, who talked to her, who stayed with Hari when she needed someone to be there. To see this woman so hurt, so frozen, it stung. Why did everything have to seem so cruel, so heartless? She wanted to talk to her, funny thing really. She was her commanding officer and they talked so little to each other.[/color]

[font="georgia, serif;"]It always has and it always will, for me.[/font]

[font="georgia, serif;"]"I wouldn't doubt it. But there's only two things we can do about it. Either fight the current and stay where we are, or flow with the waters and progress forward," Dehkaz replied, giving the Toa of Stone a small squeeze. Yes, the world did seem to hate them, there was no relief from this storm of sadness and evil.[/font]

[font="georgia, serif;"]Dehkaz didn't have much of an argument against that, she was a Toa of Stone. "It might be better that way," he said thoughtfully, feeling almost detached from himself at the moment. Like a ghostly observer watching a play, unable to change what happens throughout the acts, but forced to watch nonetheless. "You can't let everything push you along, to move you aside like a leaf floating on the water. A bit of support is always good."[/font]

[font="georgia, serif;"]"And I don't believe anyone will ever give up, even when the world seems to hate them, and everything else seems lost, there's always atleast one who keeps on going," the Toa of Magnetism replied. The problem was knowing when to stop. Dehkaz wasn't sure when he would stop, but it didn't look like it would be anytime soon. Someday, though, he might be able to take a break.[/font]

[font="georgia, serif;"]The gunmetal-armored Toa gave a small smile, and after a last small squeeze, unwrapped his arm from around Naona. "Anytime," he said. Yes, after this was over, he was definitely going to take some leave. Sort out some things, take the time to think for a bit. Maybe take the Fowadi somewhere. It was a big ocean, no telling what he would find out there.[/font]